Drive connection for travel-indicating instruments



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WILLIAM H. SCHULZE, `OF CHICAGO, ILLINISfASSIGNOR TO STLETVVAR'IWAEINERy i SPEEDOMETER CORPORATIONQOFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS, 'A vC0122OIMJIIIIOl 0F VIR- :DRIVE kooivniicrioiv non f rnnvilL-innrcarive` INSTRUMENTS.

applica/nen nieu muy 1e, `1922. serii Numana To LZZ whom t may concern l i Be it known that I, WILLIAM I-I. Sonoran, acitizen of the United States, residing yin the city of Chicago, in the county of Cookand the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drive Connections for 4rlravelnIndicating Instruments, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawin s forming a part thereof. e

he purpose of `this invention is to provide an improved driving connection-from a road `wheel of a motorvehicle tota travel indicating device carried by the vehicle. It consists in the elements and features of construction shown and described, as indicated inthe claims. f i

l In the drawings z-fx e i l Figure l is a side elevation of the chassis and road wheels of a motor vehicle equipped withthis invention, j" j j Figure 2 is a section at the line, 2&2, on Figure 1, being at the vertical diameter of the road wheel and gear thereon, showing in elevation parts embodying this]invention.A

Figure 3 is a section at the line, 3&3, on Figure 2. l e g l e Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 with the road wheel omitted, showing a modification.

Figure 5 is a partly sectional plan view of a swivel gear joint which may be employed in the construction shown, section being inadeat` two parallel planes containing the axes of the iii-leading and out-leading l shafts, respectively.v e u In the drawings theframe of ,thefinotor vehicle is indicated by the side bars, A. The general type of drive toywhich `tliepresent invention is,4 designed to be applied is that shown, having aligned differential-driven shafts, the differential being indicated at B, B, Saidvshafts carrying at their extremities driving sprocket wheels, (3 C, from `which drive chainsl E, extend` to driven sprocket wheels F, having their` shafts, f,ljournaled` in up-standiiig,brackets or standards, D,

which are erectedupon the end portions. of` the rigid rear axle, D1, theshafts, #having each at itsI outerr end aspur'gear, F1, which `meshes with aninternal gear rim, I-I, mounted 'upon the inner side of the road wheehd.

. For the purpose of the present invention there is mounted upon the rigid rear axle,

D1, arbracket or standard, K, which is desirformed and secured as `seen in Figure 3, with 'a base, le, by which thebracket is footed `upon the upper side of the rigid axle, D1,

a U-clamp, J1, which embraces the axle from belo\v,`having its limbs extendingthrough the base, le, of the bracket, 'and secured by le nuts tl'iereabove.l Thisform and mannerv of mounting facilitates adjustably positioning the bracket, K, along the axle, D1, as may be required for `properly meshing or aligning the several parts of the drive connection.

The bracket, K, has `at the upper enda clamp seat, K2, fory seating and holding a trans- `versely protruding or horizontal stem, M1,

of a second bracket, `lvilwhose upper end is also provided with a clamp seat, M2, for seating andV holding a gear housingwhich comprises tivo swiveled inembersN and O. l This gear housing is of al familiartype in general for housing a gear train, comprising three shafts, 13 Q and R, kof which `the shafts,"I3 and Q, protrude respectively `from` the terminals ofthe ,two housinoniembere, N and @,and the third shaft, ispositioiied at the Swivel axisof themembers, N

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and O.` On the shafts, I and R, are inten meshinggears, P1 and R1, respectively, and on the shaft, R, thereis a Second gear, R2, intermeshing wi'ththe gear, Q1, on the shaft, Q1, for transmitting rotation from the shaft, P, to `the shaft, Q, throughthe swivel axis, by way'of the shaft, R, and intermeshing gears. The journal bearing of the` shaft, Pv, i

in the housing member, iscylindrical to adaptit tobe `held in the clamp seat, M2, of thebracket, M, and is of such length aste permit a limited amount of longitudinal adjustment `as well .as [rotary,adjustment in said clamp seat.v In the form of the device shown inFigures l, 2 andh, the shaft, P, carries on its end which protrudesfrom the journal bearing, ma spur gear, S,.whose shaft, f, of the sprocket wheehF, is reduced j in diameterat its inner end which yprotrudes `inwardly from thejouriial bearingof said k'affording a shoulder for stopping theA shaft in the standards, D, for seating and sprocket Wheel, F, which is secured on said shaft ordinarily by an exteriorly applied nut as ,1. `Fora)` lino' the resent invenj n h the gear and the'sprocket Wheel, F. This spur gear, S1, meshes With and drives the spur gear, S', on the protrudingVend of' the shaft, I). The otherv terminal of the swivel liousing from which the shaft, Q, protrudes l is exterior-ly threaded for receiving the couplingof the casing-cfa flexible shaft Whose rot ry element, is adapted for driving en- ;ijagement with the protruding end of said Shaft, by the usual male and 'female ter-.

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initials of said'shafts, respectively. j

,It will bev noticed |that the adjustability of' 'the bracket, M, longitudinally of its horizontal "6m-1 M1, bracket, K, provides for ,j justing-the spur gear, S, directly into the plane of thespurgear, S1, and that the ro- 'tatability of the said stem, M1, in the clamp D1-,iprovidesfor adjusting of the gear,

1.101? proper depth, Of'meshing it with the .L gear, S1.'` It Vwill be further'noticed that as bracket will be normally onordinarily usted for proper meshing of the gears S FMI .and S1, the Y@uns ofthe Swivel joint between thetivo' members of' the housing is approximately vertical, which' adapts the device',y

toiaccommodate itself to the proper or morev desirable trend ofthe iiexible shaft from the said; `swivel housing to the travel-indicating i device to be operatedthereby which is shown Vj. at Wand which may be mounted in anyy desii-"able position upon the vehicle.

,Underf some circumstances it may 4be found possible conveniently to dispense'with both thespur gears,'S` and S1, and to couple theshaft,' P-, directly to the shaft, f, When this is vdesired,l there will be substituted for the nut, f1), al special form of nut Z (see Fig. l,).havin`g a terminal e, adapted for coupling asshoWn at el', tothe protruding'end of' the shaft, P. In order that the structure may be 'adapted to be used in either Way, thatl is either with or without the gears, S

. andjSf; and Without necessity for such precision in thejdi'mensioning ofthe bracket, as.

l would otherwise be necessary in order that l"the axis of the shaft may be swung into alignment with the axis of the shafnf, the terminal'clamp seat,K'1`, of. the bracket,K, is desirably formedv upon apiece separate from the base of the bracketl and adjustable vertically with respect thereto. Thisis-.mostconvenienl accomplished in the mann-er showninlligure 4, by providing the main member of the bracket K, with a vertical i lsocket" and `slitting the socket vertically along one side and yproviding 'clampingI lugs,

Wheel mounted. 'on and' hav-ingy its axis fixed with' respect zto ak fixed axle, and provided with a laterallyniounted concentric gear and a pinion Whose journal bearing is carried by the fixed axle meshing with said gear; in y combination with suchv fixed axle and pinion a ybracket mounted on the fixed. axle; a second bracket mounted' on the first, adj ust;- abl'e. thereon about,'and along an axis par-4 allel," to, thev road Wheel axis; a housing njieinberand co-operating means thereon and on the lastv mentioned bracket for removably mounting the housingkmember on the bracket; poWer-transmitting mechanism c arriedf by saidhousing, comprising as one final element emerging from the housing, a. shaft provided exteriorly of the housing with means for making drive connection withth'e first mentioned pinion, and as the other final element proj ecting from the housing, a shaftadapted for coupling to a flexible'shaft.

2.a In the: construction defined -in claim l, foregoing, the first mentioned bracket having4 clamping means'for securing the second bracket to the first, said clamping means, loeing formed as a part separate from thebase of 4said first bracket and verticallyV adjustable with respect to said base, and means for securing it in vertically adjusted position on the base.

B. In the construction defined in claim l, foregoing, the first mentioned bracket having'clamping means for securing-the second bracket' to the first, said clamping means being formed as apart separate 'from thebase of' the-first bracket and adjustable vertically with respect to saidbase and angularly about a vertical" axis, and means for securing it in adjusted' position with respect to the'base.

4. In a motor vehicle Which-has a road Wheel mountedl on, and having its vaxis fixed with respect to, a fixed axle, 'and provided' with alaterallymounted concentric gear, andl a pinion Whosev journalbearing isr carried! by the fixed axle meshing with said gear-v; in combination with said fixed axle and pinion; a housing for power tr-ansmitti-ngfmechansm, and mechanism therein compr-isinga final element emergingv at one` end of? the housing adapted for' drivin-g engagement with the first mentionedpinion, and arfinal element emerging at the opposite end, adapted for coupling to a flexible shaft; a threepart supportingmeans forV saidy housing comprising a bracket member mounted on 0) means for adjustment about a vertical the lixed axle, and two members successively axis; and means for securing the three parts 10 mounted, the first on the said bracket mem at their relatively adjusted positions. ber and the second on the irst, the tivo junc- In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set 5 tions by Which said three members are conmy hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 14th day nected successively comprising` (a) means of July, 1922. f for vertical adjustment, (b) means for adl e l justment parallel to the road Wheel axis, and WILLIAM I-I. SCHULZE. 

